Esha has one plan, and that is to join the guild of healing. She doesn't bear the mark of the Calling, but that won't stop her, not even when she recognizes her mate in the new baron. Determined to outwit fate, she strikes a bargain, certain her loophole will twist the mating bond into something else.
She was wrong. Hastien came to Nath with one purpose: to save his dying mother. The last thing he needs is a romantic entanglement. So when the pretty Thae'larai suggests a convenient arrangement, he sees only an opportunity to further his cause. A fake relationship. Nothing more. He was wrong. Find out who falls first.